Friends Before they Met
by TalkingSalad12
Summary: When avatar Korra was a little girl she had dreams about a boy with a key shaped sword. Years later after she defeated Amon she meets that same boy in person.
1. Chapter 1

Imaginary Friends

Korra ran through her newly built snow fort, stick in hand. The seven year old was ready for battle as she swung her stick around destroying invisible enemies.

"Take that you heartless," Korra declared as she won the imaginary fight. Then she looked to her left and shocked at another invisible enemy, "Oh no, Nobodies! Donald get them."

Korra then waved her stick like a wand, "Blizzaga!" Korra then quickly moved her hand making a snowball fly at the invisible enemy. Despite the snowball's crash, Korra still won.

"Yes, we did it," Korra jumped, "Now lets go beat the organization."

"Korra," Korra looked to see her mother approaching her, "Korra it's time for dinner."

Korra pouted, her play time had come to an end, "But mom, we haven't defeated Xemnas yet."

Korra's mother giggled, "I'm sure the worlds will survive one more day," She held out her hand, "Come on, you also have an important lesson with master Katara tomorrow. She's going to teach you to heal."

Korra sighed, "I wouldn't need to if that healing spell worked."

"Well you're the avatar not a wizard," Her mother reminded.

"Why can't I be both?" Korra asked as she took her mother's hand. Her mother couldn't help but smile. She was happy Korra was playing like a normal child. Sometimes she wondered if she did the right thing, calling the White Lotus when Korra was only four. But she didn't think she had much of a choice, Korra somehow discovered she could bend other elements, not just water. That much power in the hands of a four year old, wasn't a good thing. But when Korra began the training she didn't take to it well at first. She was being constantly told what to do, how to control her bending when she had already controlled it so well. Not to mention she had to live in a compound under the White Lotus's surveillance almost every second of the day. And Korra could only go out with either her parents or the White Lotus's guard. She must have felt like a prisoner. It only got worse when she started to have nightmares.

Korra began to have nightmares about monsters. Black monsters that came out of the shadow, with yellow glowing eyes. They attacked people, turning them into monsters and destroyed worlds. Korra kept waking up crying to her parents' distress. It didn't help that Korra started to think that those nightmares were real, that those monsters were coming to destroy everything she loved. Korra tried to get strong too fast, she even tried to challenge fully grown and trained benders. But of course she lost and when she did she would cry. Afraid that when the monsters did come she couldn't protect the world as the avatar should.

Despite her parents telling her that dreams weren't real. That she would get strong as she got older. But Korra was little, she couldn't understand that yet. But then, thank the spirits, the dreams began to change. Heroes began to appear in Korra's dream. Defeating the monsters and saving the worlds. What were once terrifying nightmares, became fun adventurous dreams for Korra to enjoy. In fact, she couldn't stop talking about them now.

"… then they got to this huge white castle that floats in the sky. But they couldn't get to it, but then the keyblade appeared in Sora's hand, when he pointed it at the castle, it made a light bridge that let them in. And Namine came and saved Kairi, and then…"

"Alright," Korra's father said, "It's exciting but you still need to eat your sea plum stew."

Korra made a face of disgust but she ate it anyway.

After dinner and her bath Korra was tucked in bed. When she saw the light under her door go off. She turned he lamp on and pulled out some papers and crayons. Among the papers were childish drawings of Sora's adventures. Currently the one she was working on was a drawing of the heart shape moon. She filled the heart with the color yellow. Once it was finished she went back to bed. She needed to know how they beat Xemnas and saved the world, again.

Ten years later

Korra sat in her room on air bender island. She had just come back from her 'challenge' with Amon. She still felt like she was going to break down into tears. He had his hands on her face, he could have taken her bending away so easily. He didn't, because he chose not to.

She felt so weak, so terrified. Some avatar she turned out to be. She couldn't do any air bending and the first time she came across someone who threatened the world she couldn't defeat him.

 _What do you think Avatar Aang would have done in your place?_

The reporters question surfaced in her mind. What would have Aang done? He ended the hundred year war at the age of thirteen. Would he have succeeded, would he had just sat there and let someone like Amon toy with him?

A knock at her door interrupted Korra's thoughts.

"Who is it?" Korra pulled herself together before asking.

"It's me," Tenzin's voice called, "A package from your parents just arrived."

Korra got up and opened the door. The middle-aged air bender held a box in his hands. Korra took it and let Tenzin in. she sat on her bed and opened it. The first thing she found was a letter. Korra read it out loud.

"We heard you've been having a hard time lately. While your mother was cleaning out your room she found something we think might cheer you up."

Korra proceeded to open the box. The first thing she saw was a drawing of a heart shaped moon. Korra's eyes widened for a bit before pulling it out, then she noticed there were a whole stack of children's drawings in the box. Korra pulled them all out. And began to look over them.

Korra felt her pain filled heart become warm as she recalled what each drawing represented. Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Going to different worlds, sealing the keyholes, defeating the heartless. It all brought a smile to Korra's face.

"I haven't thought of these in forever," Korra couldn't help but say out loud.

"What are they?" Tenzin asked.

Korra placed them on her bed, "When I was a kid, I had… nightmares. About monsters that destroyed worlds, turned people into monsters. I was terrified. There were nights I tried to stay awake, so I wouldn't have them. But then they changed," she picked up the drawing of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, "These three came along and they made everything better. They fought the monsters and brought all the destroyed worlds back. I used to pretend I fought with them as a kid. These three helped me get through a… lonely childhood."

"I see," Tenzin decided to not point out that Korra looked like she was feeling better, "I have to go check on the children." Tenzin left her with her old happy memories. Korra picked up the drawings and started to look over them again. Unaware that outside the window a meteor shower was occurring.

 **Was it me or were the reporters in LOK just mean?**


	2. Chapter 2

You Already Lost

Korra walked through Republic city. The construction workers were repairing the damage from Amon's war. People were readjusting back into daily life. The new president was recently elected, so Tenzin had been helping Korra with her air bending training. And in about two weeks Korra was going to go home to her tribe to visit her parents and enjoy the glacier festival. She just hoped her dad and uncle would get along this time. She never understood why they always fought, maybe she couldn't understand as an only child.

She stopped in front of shop. In the display windows were bowls and plates. Korra thought about getting some souvenirs for her parents. They weren't into extravagant things like jewelry or fancy silk clothing. They liked plates and bowls, Korra couldn't count the number of times she broke her mom's plates, maybe this was the time to make up for it.

Korra noticed something in the reflection of the window. Someone was standing across the street. While everyone else was walking, going to the places they needed, a lone person was just standing there, watching her. Korra gave that person a glance, but then she recognized something about the figure. So, she looked again, taking another few seconds to identify them. Her eyes widened. She couldn't see their face, but the person was wearing a black coat, with a silver zipper and silver cords hanging from the bottom of the hood, just like…

Panic shot through the young avatar. Korra whipped around to the other side of the street. No one was there. She placed her hand on her forehead and took in a long deep breath.

"No one was there," she told herself, "You're just stressed out. They aren't even real, just bad dreams you had as a kid."

After Korra calmed down, she bought a dining room set of navy blue plates and bowls. As she started her way back to the island, she couldn't help but think about her dreams. What she thought she saw, was a member of the organization. Korra had a lot of dreams about them as a kid. Honestly, she wished she didn't. she knew what they did, to the worlds, to Roxas, to Xion. They were monsters, just like their leader. She was glad Sora stopped them. But recently she began having those types of dreams again, this time, about different heroes. She stared at the ground when she recalled their names, Terra, Ventus, and Aqua. She sighed.

"Why couldn't my brain give them happy endings?" She asked. She arrived at the island and packed up her gift for her parents, then she fed Naga. Once her bowl was full, she gave her polar bear dog an affectionate scratch behind the ear. Naga looked up at another direction. Korra looked to see Naga had sensed Tenzin.

"Hey Tenzin, what's up?"

"It's the children," Tenzin sighed, "They want you to tell them a story again tonight."

"Oh," Korra looked down, "Are you sure? They must be getting bored."

"Please Korra, they won't go to bed unless you tell it to them," Tenzin pleaded.

Clearly poor Tenzin was going through his parent anxiety again, so Korra had to agree. It wasn't like she hated telling the air bender kids stories. It was that recently it became hard to tell those stories to the kids. She opened the door.

"Hey kids."

"Korra," Ikki jumped up and down on her bed, "Tell us more Sora stories."

Meelo popped out of his bed, "Yeah, Sora stories."

"Okay, okay, just settle down," Korra grabbed a chair to sit in the middle of the room. Jinora held her book open. Korra knew that was just an act. When Korra offered to tell them stories, Jinora said, she was to old for fairy tales and would try to read her books. But when Korra started to tell them, she would notice Jinora looking up from her book, listening instead of reading.

"Alright, where did we leave off?" Korra asked.

"They left Agrabah," Ikki said, "And Riku is the worse, he kidnapped princess Jasmine!" Ikki crossed her arms to get her point across.

"The worse," Meelo repeated. Korra would agree, she felt the exact same thing when she first had that dream. But he shaped up later.

"Okay, well they flew through in the gummi ship to the next world," Korra began. She told them the story about Monstro, which didn't help Ikki like Riku, then she told them the story about Atlantica. Then Korra decided she would stop there for tonight. Much to Ikki and Meelo's displeasure.

"Please, just one more world?" Ikki begged.

"Nope, you need to go to sleep." Ikki and Meelo went 'aw' in disappointment, but perked up when Korra said, "Tell you what, I'll tell you about the next three worlds tomorrow night."

That made them giddy, but Korra managed to put to tuck them in, then it was Jinora's turn. The oldest air bending child placed her book on her night stand, "Um, they do find princess Jasmine right? I'm not asking for me, Ikki and Meelo are just worried."

Korra internally smirked. Sure, she was, "You know my policy Jinora, no spoilers."

Jinora sighed in disappointment, "Alright." After the air bender kids were in bed, Korra decided she wanted to go to bed as well.

She sighed in exhaustion, telling those stories became so hard. Don't get Korra wrong, she loved those stories, she still did. It was those dreams that inspired her. Sora's strength, his compassion, his refusal to give up no matter what. Korra wanted to be like that, she thought that if she was like that, she'd be the best avatar ever. She still thought like that. But the dreams about Terra, Ventus, and Aqua, had left a bitter taste in her mouth with Ansem and Xemnas's defeat.

Of course, they needed to be stopped, and by no means did she blame Sora. But Terra had lost his life with Xehanort. Her hands clenched into fist at the very thought of the elderly master. That monster! Korra couldn't think of him as anything but a monster. Even worse than Amon, if he were real.

Korra decided to calm down, they were dreams, they weren't real. So maybe, she could try and change them, give them happy endings. They deserved it. Korra got into bed and tried to imagine a way for those three to live happily ever after.

Korra shot up in her bed sweating, "Sora!"

She looked around to see she was in her room. She took in deep breaths. Her newest dream had left her with a large sense of dread. Apparently, killing Ansem and Xemnas didn't stop Xehanort, it just made him whole. So Sora and Riku took the mark of mastery test in the dream world. Korra then learned something, whenever there's someone who wants to be a keyblade master, someone who was good and deserved the title, that… monster, Xehanort would come and ruin it completely! He did something to separate them and now, he was going to do to Sora what he did to Terra!

Before Korra could continue she woke up. Odds were because she really didn't want to see Sora become that…

It made her sick. Sora was her hero as a child. He was kind, strong, and Xehanort wanted to turn him into him. She was terrified of going to sleep, she didn't want to see that. Even though the rational side of her told her it was just a nightmare, Korra couldn't stop herself from feeling like… like her best friend was about to die.

Korra tried to stop those dreams, telling herself they weren't real. But they seemed so real. Like they actually happened. She closed her eyes, Sora came to mind. Sora, a piece of her childhood she cherished. In her mind he defended her from the heartless, the nobodies, and the organization.

She then opened her eyes, telling herself that they weren't real, didn't make them go away, maybe… just for a few minutes… she could believe in them.

She got out of her bed, "No."

She walked down the hall, "No."

She went into the courtyard, "No."

Then she stopped at the training fields, "No, you can't have Sora!"

Korra looked out into the air as if someone was listening, "You hear me Xehanort, you can't have him! You took Terra, Aqua, and Ventus already. You aren't going to have Sora! You might be some keyblade master, but you are going to lose. In fact, news flash old man, you already lost! You lost as Ansem, you lost as Xemnas, and you lost as Xehanort! Even if you take my world, Sora will stop you and he'll save it just like he saved so many! He will win, he will defeat you again. But don't think for one second, that means I'll just sit here and let you. Sora might be the guardian of all worlds, but I'm the guardian of this world! I'm the Avatar and I will stop you! So, I suggest, you leave, turn around and go back to the realm of darkness, and stay there, because the only thing waiting for you in the realm of light, is defeat!"

After her speech, Korra started to feel better. She let out a sigh, releasing all the stress and pain the dream brought her. Then she went back to bed. When she woke up the next morning she groaned, "Seriously? Sora didn't fail, that old buzzard wasp interfered."

But she still smiled.


End file.
